Weather Journal: A Weekend in the 80s

Temperatures will reach the 80s on both days of the weekend, with dry air suppressing most cloud formation. A stray thunderstorm or two may return to the region by early next week, but for the time being rainfall will be a memory.

Friday night could end up being the last “cold” night of the spring, with clear skies and a northwest wind combining to push the temperature as low as the mid-30s in outlying areas of New Jersey and Long Island. There could be some sporadic frost too, as what little moisture remains in the atmosphere after Wednesday’s cold front crystallizes onto chilled foliage. As usual, the heat-trapping properties of asphalt and concrete will keep things cozy (mid-50s) closer to the city.

Sunday Solar Eclipse: If only New York City could be relocated to the West Coast for a day. That’s what amateur astronomers will be wishing on Sunday evening as an annular — or “Ring of Fire” — solar eclipse dives through the western U.S. in the few minutes before sunset. Those viewing from western New York state may see a sliver of the sun shaved off as it nears the horizon, but the eclipse will not begin until after sunset for those living east of the Appalachians. Sadly, that means New York City will miss out this time around.

In astronomical terms, the wait until the next East Coast visible eclipse is small. On August 21, 2017, the first total eclipse visible from the mainland U.S. since 1979 will cross through the Midwest to South Carolina, and it will be significantly visible from Greater New York. While Sunday’s eclipse is just an annular eclipse (the moon will be too far away and thus too small to completely block out the sun), the eclipse five years from now will be the real deal.

East Coast viewers may still be in luck this weekend: a solar telescope has been erected for the occasion near the top of Mt. Fuji in Japan, an area that will be right in the center of the moon’s shadow as it drifts across the Earth’s surface. A webcam will be broadcasting the eclipse live. Or, you could have a friend in California Twitter you a photo.

Your Weather Journal weekend forecast roundup:

WSJ Headquarters in Manhattan:

High: Friday: 74, Saturday: 82, Sunday: 80

Low: Friday: 54, Saturday: 57, Sunday: 58

Weather: Sunny and warm

Friday/Saturday/Sunday Highs for Greater New York:

Brooklyn: 73/78/80

Queens: 74/80/83

Bronx: 74/81/81

Staten Island: 71/78/79

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: 75/81/81

Trenton, N.J.: 75/79/75

Islip, Long Island: 70/76/74

New Haven, Conn.: 71/77/76

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus contributes daily weather reports and analysis on Metropolis. For the latest on conditions in New York and elsewhere, follow his updates (@WSJweather) on Twitter.